Vacuum cleaner floor tool assembly having a cam actuated valve and agitator



Feb. 1l, 1958 D. M. Dow I 2,822,565

VACUUM CLEANER FLooR vTooL. ASSEMBLY HAVING A CAM ACTUATED VALVE AND AGITATOR Filed Nov. 15, 1954 l INVENToR. 'F15 A BY DEWEY MDow -5 @JA-.A 4f. QL,

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United States Patent O VACUUM CLEANER FLOOR TOOL ASSEMBLY HAVING A CAM ACTUATED VALVE AND AGITATOR Dewey M. Dow, Toledo, Ohio, assigner to Air-Way Industries, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,776

Claims. (Cl. 15-373) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and an object is to enable actuation of an agitator to position of use and at the same time increase the air velocity at the oor tool mouth for increasing the efficiency of the cleaning operation.

Another object is to enable concomitant actuation of the agitator and a valve for restricting the air ow and thereby increasing the air velocity and pressure head.

A further object is to produce an assembly in which turning movement of the vacuum cleaner handle or wand concomitantly advances an agitator to position of use and actuates a valve for restricting the air passage through the mouth of the oor tool, thus to cooperate with the agitator by increasing the air velocity and pressure head when the agitator is in position of use. v

A still further object is to produce an assembly as above but in which both the agitator is advanced and the valve actuated or the agitator is advanced alone depending upon the direction of rotation of the wand or handle. x

Other objectswand advantages will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown on the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a sectional view of a vacuum cleaner floor tool, a portion of the wand or handle being broken away;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the floor tool;

Figure 3 is a sectional view substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 in which the valve cam is altered in construction. p VThe illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a vacuum cleaner nozzle or floor tool in the upper portion of which is a rearwardly extending integral tubular extension 11. The door tool has a mouth 12 which extends entirely across the same and through which dust laden air is drawn by the action of the vacuum cleaner. Such dust laden air passes upwardly through the mouth and into a tubular handle or wand 13 which connects with the vacuum cleaner which embodies the usual motor driven suction fan, dust bag and the like.

The inner end of the tubular handle 13 tits Within and is xed to a cylindrical bearing element consisting of a sleeve 14 which has an outwardly extending lange 15 at its outer end to abut against the outer end of the tubular extension 11. For retaining the tubular handle 13 in position and yet allow rotative or turning movements thereof, a spring tensioned catch 16 engages the outer face of the ange 15. In this manner, the handle 13 and tubular extension 14 may turn as a unit within the tubular extension 11 of the oor tool.

In rear of the inlet mouth 12 and extending entirely across the oor tool is a channel 17 which is open at the bottom end, and disposed within the channel 17 for vertical reciprocatory movements is a brush unit having ICC a brush V18, the bristles of which are crimped and held in place by a sheet metal holder 19 which has a llat top and also extends entirely across the floor tool. The brush holder is so designed that it can slide easily within the vertical channel 17 and disposed centrally of the holder and projecting upwardly therefrom is a cam follower pin 20 which is lixed at its lower end to the holder. The upper end of the pin engages a double acting cam surface 21 which is integrally formed on the inner end portion of the sleeve 14. As shown, the cam is gently arched and the archaic form is such that turning movement of the wand or handle 13 in either direction operates to depress the pin 20 and thus advance the brush 18 to position of use with the lower end thereof projecting downwardly beyond the foot or adjacent portion of the floor tool so as to engage the surface to be cleaned. At opposite ends of the oor tool and bearing respectively in sockets23 are coil springs 22. The upper ends of the coil springs 22 bear against the under surface of lateral extensions 24 of the sheet metal brush holder 19. Thus it will be apparent that the agitator or brush is normally urged in an upward direction or to an inoperative position out of Contact with the surface or floor to be cleaned.

Extending completely across the mouth 12 of the floor tool is a plate valve 25 which has end walls 25a and a forwardly extending curved valve extension 25b adjacent its lower end. The valve has rearwardly extending surfaces 25c which incline upwardly from the ends to a central arch which constitutes a hood 29 described below. Valve 25 is pivotally supported at its ends by pivot pins 26 engaged in sockets 27 in end plates 25a, and engaging sockets in the inner ends of the floor tool. A leaf spring 28 has one end riveted to the front face of the valve and engages a portion of the floor tool to urge the valve to open position i. e. the position shown in full lines on Figure l with the lower end of the valve or that portion below the extension 251; engaging a ledge L of the floor tool at the edge of the mouth. in its open position, the valve provides a full open passage for air to pass into the oor tool from the surface being cleaned.

At the central portion of the plate valve is an upwardly extending hood 29 which, when the valve is in open position, has its rear edge e engaged against a shoulder s formed on the tubular extension 11 and as indicated on Figure l. Hood 29, shown best in Figure l and Figure 3 is somewhat cup-shaped and has on the inside thereof` a substantially V-shaped female cam follower 3 0 which isengageable by `a /shaped malecamY 31 which projects outwardly from a plate 32 which is iixed as by welding to the inside of the sleeve 14 at the front end thereof, the cam 31 also extending forwardly beyond the front end of the sleeve 14.

It will be understood from the above description that by turning the handle or wand 13 in one direction or the other beyond an intermediate position, the brush 18 is advanced to position of use and at the same time, the valve plate is rocked to the broken line position on Figure l, thereby greatly restricting the passage of air to the inlet mouth 12. As a result, the velocity of air drawn into the mouth and pressure head are greatly increased. This increases the cleaning action due to the higher velocity of air and the pressure head at the time that the brush is brought into operation. It will be understood that a slight play is permissible between the wand and the floor tool before the concomitant action of the brush and valve take place so that a slight turning movement in one direction or the other will not operate to actuate these parts. On the contrary, a turning movement of the handle is necessary before the parts are actuated as above described lt will also be manifest that this action takes place regardless of the direction in which the handle 13 is turned.

Inthe alternative .formnshown in Figure 5, the female singleacting cam 30' is altered so that only one sideis effected. In other words, only one inclined surface is provided so that in order to actuate both the brush and the valve, the handle 13 mustbe turnediinfone direction. However, turning of the handle 13`in .the `opposite direction operates solely to .actuatethe'brush 18. to position of-use. This makes possible the use ofthe brush for certain cleaning operations when it is not desired lto increase the pressure head and the velocity'of'theair drawnin through the oor tool mouth.

Numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing fromthe spirit of the invention,.especially as defined in thev appended claims.

What- I claim is:

l. In a vacuum cleaner, a floor tool having an inlet mouth through whichzdust-laden air may be drawn from thesurface'to be cleaned, a valve in said mouth actuatable between a position for restricting the opening from such surface thereby to increase the air velocity and pressure head and a position allowing normal air movement through the mouth, an agitator mounted in the floor tool for vertical movement, a handleand means forminga rotatable connection between the handle and the oor tool, said means including acylindrical bearing element'which is .rotatablewith said handle, said cylindrical bearing element having two cams, one cam engaging the valve and the other cam engaging the agitator whereby turning of said handle actuates the valve and also the agitator.

2. In a vacuumcleaner, a door tool having an inlet mouth through which dust-laden air may be drawn from the surface to be cleaned, a valve in said mouth shiftable between a iirst position for restricting the opening from such surface thereby to increase the nir velocity and pressure head and a second position allowing normal air movement through the mouth, a normally spring retracted agitator. mounted in the oor tool for vertical movement between extended and retracted positions, a handle, and means forming a rotatable connection between the handle and the floor tool, said means including a cylindrical bearing element which is rotatable with said handle, said cylindrical bearing element having two cams, cam follower means on the valve engaging one of the cams, cam follower means on the agitator engaging the other of said cams, and means for biasing said cam follower means respectively against said cams, the arrangement being such that turning of said handle shifts the valve to said first position and also extends the agitator.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a floor tool having an inlet 4 mouth through which dust-laden air may be drawn from the. surface to becleaned, a spring-tensioned valve in said mouth actuatable between a position for restricting the opening from such surface thereby to increase the air velocity and pressure head and a position allowing normal air movement through the mouth, a spring retracted agitator mounted in the floor tool for vertical movement, a handle,.means including. a. cylindrical bearing element rotatablymounting said handle on said floor tool, said cylindrical bearing element rotating with the handle and having two cams, one cam engaging the valve andthe other cam engaging the agitator, `whereby turning of said handle actuates the valve and also the agitator.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a oor tool having an inlet mouth through which dust-laden yair may be drawn from the surface to be cleaned, a spring-tensioned valve in said mouth movable between a position for restricting the opening from suchsurface thereby to increase the air velocity and pressurelhead and a positionallowing normaltainmovement through the-mouth, a spring retracted agitator mounted in the door tool for verticalmovement, a handle, and means forming a rotatable connection be tween4 the; handle and the floor tool, said means including a cylindrical bearing element having two double acting cams rotating with the handle, one cam engaging the valve andthe other cam engaging the .agitator whereby turningV of said handle in either direction simultaneously actuateszthe valveand .the agitator.

5. In avacuum cleaner, a oor toolhaving an inlet mouth through which dust-laden airmay be .drawn from the surface to be cleaned, a .valvein said mouth movable between a positionfor restricting the opening from such surface thereby, to increase. the air Velocity and pressure head and a position allowing normalA air movement through tl1e =mouth, an agitator mounted inthe oor tool for Vertical movement, a handle, and means forming a rotatable connection between the handle and the floor tool, saidmeans including a cylindrical bearing element rotating with the` handleand havingtwo cams, one cam engagingxthe valvetand theother cam engaging the agitator, the cam engaging the valve being single acting and the cam engaging the agitatorbeing double acting so that turning movement ofthe handlein one direction advances only the agitator and. in the opposite direction advances the agitator and shifts the valve to mouth restricting: position. Y

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

